County drops appeal of gun ban ruling

Bonner County commissioners have announced the county is dismissing its appeal of a district court's decision on a firearms ban by the Festival at Sandpoint at War Memorial Field.

While commissioners said they remain united in their opinion that firearms ban violates Idaho law, a decision by Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler not to join a planned appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court left the board no choice but to abandon the appeal.

The district court had ruled that Wheeler had no standing to ask the court to clarify the law, a ruling commissioners said they viewed as legally incorrect. However, Wheeler's decision not to join that appeal left the board with little choice but to drop the appeal.

"Fortunately for the citizens of Bonner County, the Second Amendment Alliance has now filed a suit to obtain a ruling on the legality of the gun ban," commissioners said in a press release. "Hopefully, their lawsuit will vindicate the gun rights of the citizens of Idaho, and a future opportunity will arise to clarify the circumstances under which the County and the Sheriff may have access to the court to obtain rulings clarifying disputed provisions of the law."